Global Courant 2023-05-01 22:12:06
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow will not pay the attorney fees she paid to successfully defend herself against a lawsuit from a 76-year-old retired optometrist who alleged she was guilty of crashing into him at an upscale Utah ski resort. get back in 2016.
In a final verdict released Saturday, a Utah judge upheld the jury’s verdict unanimous verdict finding Terry Sanderson – the man who clashed with Paltrow – to be “100% guilty”, rewarding Paltrow the $1 she was looking for in a countersuit, and leaving attorneys’ fees to the court’s Judge Kent Holmberg to decide.
The verdict said that Paltrow would not seek attorney’s fees and that Sanderson would not appeal the verdict, ending a protracted legal battle seven years after the two crashed during a novice run near the base of Deer Valley Resort in Utah.
Representatives for both Paltrow and Sanderson were not immediately available to answer questions about the final verdict or the money at stake. Neither side has publicly disclosed how much it costs to fight a years-long legal battle with a team of lawyers, expert witnesses from around the United States and, for Paltrow’s part, high-resolution animated recreations of her memories of the crash.
The stars of “Shakespeare in Love” and “Ironman”. eight-day trial last month emerged as the most watched lawsuit against American celebrities since the showdown between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard last year. Sanderson’s lawsuit charged Paltrow with negligence and crashing into him from behind, then leaving the scene of the accident without making sure he was in good physical shape. He sought more than $300,000 in damages — a threshold in Utah civil court that allows parties to bring the most evidence and dismiss the longest list of witnesses.
Paltrow then filed a counterclaim for the token $1 and attorneys’ fees — alleging that Sanderson had hit her from behind and sued to exploit her fame and celebrity.
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Under the glow of live Court TV cameras and extensive attention from fans and opponents, Paltrow sat intently in the Park City courtroom during the proceedings, on and off, for the past month. testified that initially when the crash happened she thought she was being ‘violated’.
Following the verdict, Sanderson’s lawyers said they were considering whether to appeal the case or request a new trial. Paltrow and her attorney said in separate statements that the countersuit has more to do with her principles than the dollar amount at stake.
“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” said the founder-CEO of beauty and wellness brand Goop.
